Internet Boycott Urged To Protest China's Blocking

Chinese Web surfers are being asked to stay off the Internet on July 1 to protest the Chinese government's demand that blocking software Green Dam Youth Escort be installed on all PCs sold in China.

That is the date the software filter sold by Jinhui Computer System Engineering is due to debut. All PCs sold in China on and after this date must have the software. It's also the anniversary date of the founding of the Communist Party in China.

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology insists the software is needed to block pornography, and has mandated that it either be installed on new PCs or the installer CDs be included in the PC package. Computer makers, including Dell and Hewlett-Packard, have protested the order.

Boycott organizer Ai Weiwei, a Chinese artist, reportedly believes an Internet boycott will be a safe way to protest the Chinese government's censorship plans. In a Twitter post, he wrote in Chinese, "Stop any online activities, including working, reading, chatting, blogging, gaming and mailing. Don't explain your behavior."

In a survey by the Beijing Times, a majority of respondents said Green Dam violates privacy. They said that after a free one-year subscription expires, they are not willing to pay for it.

The Chinese government has been waging a campaign against an open Internet. Last week it accused Google's Chinese version and other sites of "disseminating pornographic and vulgar information" and asked them to remove it.

The government is apparently concerned about dissent during important anniversaries this year, including the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests leading to the Tiananmen Square massacre, referred to in China as the June 4th Incident. Tanks were used to clear the square, and the Red Cross has estimated that 2,500 people died and 7,000 to 10,000 were wounded.